The Timeless Circle
by intangible
Summary: Sent into the Seattle of 2020, Buffy and the Scoobies must join forces with Max and the transgenics of Terminal City to fulfil a prophecy uniting slayer and chimera, past and present, human and transgenic. PLEASE review - some feedback would be good.
1. The Beginning

****

The Timeless Circle

Buffy tVS/Dark Angel crossover, with a bit of Angel on the side.

Set soon after "Grave" and "Freak Nation". 

Disclaimer: The characters etc all belong to Joss Whedon and James Cameron. Not us. 

Warning: this fanfic may contain gratuitous scenes of Alec semi-naked. 

Chapter 1

Sunnydale, USA. 2003

Buffy sprinted through the darkened sewers, the blood pounding in her ears. Behind her she could hear the pants of Xander, Anya and Dawn. Suddenly she stiffened and slowed to a halt, her senses prickling. She waited for the others to catch up and gestured for then to lean in and listen. "He's close," she whispered.

"Buffy, do we have to do this?" panted Dawn. "Can't we just go home? You don't even know that Spike's feeding again or even that his chip's not working. Let's just leave him alone!"

"He's been acting half crazy since he got back from wherever the hell he went," replied Xander before Buffy could open her mouth to speak. "If we even suspect he could be hurting people, we have to track him down."

Anya reached out and gingerly touched a wall, examined her finger, and sniffed it. "This place smells bad," she said loudly, unaware of the tense silence around her. Dawn giggled, until Buffy silenced her with a look. 

She turned around. "Let's keep mov---", she called over her shoulder, but she was cut off when something dropped from the ceiling and clasped its clawed hands around her neck, lifting her off the ground. In the murky light of the sewer she could hardly see what it was, but her reflexes came through and she kicked out, her foot colliding with the hooded creature. It dropped her in surprise and she rolled into the wall. Jumping to her feet to face the creature in a fighting stance, she threw him a punch in the jaw but then reeled back, her head spinning and shocked to find herself strangely dizzy. 

Somewhere outside the hazy feeling she heard Xander yell, "Buffy! Are you all right?"

"Stay back", she warned, her voice a little shaky. "Don't touch it. There's some kind of--"

She was interrupted by the creature's sharp blow to her chest, sending her flying backwards. Bracing herself for a collision with the wall, she found herself instead hitting something soft and human-shaped. She took it with her to the ground, landing with an unceremonious "Oof!"

Buffy rolled off it quickly and out of the corner of her eye saw with surprise that it was Spike. He lay on the ground, uncharacteristically stunned for a second. From her left, she heard Dawn shriek, "Buffy! Catch!" and with her slayer senses, reached out to grab the sword which Dawn had thrown her and used it to decapitate the demon in one fluid motion. It slumped to the ground. 

The gang rushed up to her just as Buffy's knees buckled beneath her and Xander caught her just in time. "I'm fine," she gasped, although she knew that something wasn't right about this. "We have to get Spike". 

"He went that way", said Dawn shakily, pointing. 

"Come on", Buffy said with determination, ignoring the wobbliness in her knees. They jogged on through the dark tunnel, and one by one, as they passed the demon's body, felt an unnatural breeze in their faces. 

"What was that?" hissed Anya.

"I don't know", answered Buffy. "But whatever it was, I'm beginning to feel better. Let's go. He can't be far ahead." 

***************************************************

__

Terminal City, Seattle, 2020

"Hey, Little Fella", shouted Joshua from his seat at the computer screen in the transgenics' headquarters. 

Max looked up from where she was polishing her Ninja with a chamois. "Yeah?"

Joshua gestured towards the screen, where Logan's face had appeared. "Logan asking for you."

Max's expression changed slightly. She got up, went over to the monitor, and sat down. 

"Hey."

"Hey yourself", he replied calmly. "Listen, I've translated some more of the writing on you using something I found on the internet. It seems to be some sort of prophecy."

"Great", said Max sarcastically. "You'd think that it could have just arrived in the mail. Why is it on _me_? What is it with Manticore and tattoos?"

Logan smiled. "There's also some recurring symbols: some sort of important circle and something about the number 3."

"Three what?" demanded Max. "Three goats, three yachts, three kinds of disembowelment Can you be more specific?"

"Unfortunately, no. I'm kinda in a rut. I've tried everything. But I can't work out any more of it. I've sent the information to some people I know - some historians and anthropologists. But it could take a while, and I don't like our chances. How's it going over there? 

"Fine. Not much is happening. There's just a general feeling of waiting."

"Waiting for what exactly?" Logan asked.

"That's just it". Max paused glumly. "What are we waiting for?"

************************************

****

Meanwhile, in the sewers

"I'm tired", whined Anya.

Buffy suppressed a sigh. Two hours in the stinking sewers, and there was still no sign of Spike. "I think we've lost him," she admitted. Buffy didn't tell them that she had no idea where they were anymore. 

"I wish Willow was here," sighed Dawn. Xander put an arm around her comfortingly. "I know, Dawnie. So do I. But until she's better she has to stay in England with the Watcher's Council."

"Yeah," said Anya with false cheeriness. "Then she can come back and end the world again, and it'll be like she was never gone."

"Giles says she's improving," Buffy reminded her sternly, hoping that Xander and Anya wouldn't start bickering again, "and we have bigger things to worry about." 

Up ahead they could just make out a dark figure with preternaturally glowing eyes. They heard a soft growl. 

"Stay back," Buffy whispered. "I'll handle it." Pulling a stake out of her shoulder bag, she advanced on the creature. It began moving towards her. They circled around each other for a minute while Buffy wondered what it was. Then she attacked, swinging a punch and connecting with its jaw with a painful smack. The creature stumbled and fell. 

Buffy quickly knelt beside it, and just as she was about to drive the stake into its heart, a strong arm grabbed her wrist and a low voice said in her ear, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Oh yeah?" Buffy replied, wrenching her arm out of the grip and straightening up.

"UhBuffy, " she heard Xander say from behind her. "What are we going to do ab--"

Looking around, she suddenly realised that they were surrounded by strange looking demons, and each one had a weapon pointed at her. 


	2. One of Us

Chapter 2: One of Us

Buffy automatically stepped into a fighting stance, her mind quickly estimating how many of these demons she could take on at once. There must have been at least twenty of them, she calculated. 

The creature who had grabbed her arm with such strength stepped forward, a smirk on his green lizard-like face. He gestured for the others to drop their weapons, then turned to Buffy. "At ease, soldier," he told her. "We're Manticore too. What series are you? X5? X7?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" demanded Xander. Buffy was confused too. 

"Look, Reptile Boy," she said, "I don't think you understand. I'm the Slayer, and you're about to be slayed."

"Reptile Boy" chuckled, although Buffy got the feeling he certainly didn't appreciate the nickname. "Yeah, whatever, soldier. But we're on the same side, and you're one of us, so get used to it."

"One of-- Soyou don't want to hurt us?" Buffy asked. 

"Or eat us?" Anya piped up. 

he creatures snickered among themselves. One of the mutants said, "Yeah, right," as though they thought she was joking. Buffy realised that she could use this weird situation to her advantage. "Hey, since we're buddies and all, could you guys give us some directions? We're a little lost."

"I knew it!" exclaimed Anya triumphantly. "I knew you had no idea where you were going!" 

"Sure," said the lizard-man. "We're near the entrance to Terminal City. You should come with us. It isn't safe for guys like us to be around here right now. We'll fill you in on the way." 

Dawn coughed. "Don't they realise their hometown's name is a little off-putting? Terminal?" she whispered. 

"Errcould you guys give us a minute?" Buffy asked the lizard-man. "Just toconsider our options." 

"Sure. Don't be too long though. Like I said, it's not safe." The group of demons moved politely out of the way. 

Buffy turned to Xander, puzzled. He shrugged, then leaned in towards her. "Do they think we're demons too? Have I grown horns lately and you just forgot to tell me? And what the hell is with that lizard guy?" 

"Anya?" Buffy asked.

"I can recognise most demons, but I've never seen anything like thesethings," she whispered. She pointed discreetly at the demon leader. "He looks like his mother had sex with an iguana." 

"At least it wasn't with a praying mantis," Dawn piped up not-so-innocently. Xander cringed. "Dawn! How did--"

"I know a lot more than you give me credit for, you know," she told him. "So, Buffy, are we going to this demon lair or not? Maybe that's where Spike is hiding out."

"Good idea," Buffy answered. "I think we're pretty safe, as long as we keep them thinking that we're demons too. Although you would think they'd be able to sense that we're humans." 

"Well, some of us actually _are_ demons. And proud of it," said Anya. 

"And I didn't exist until last year," added Dawn. "And Buffy's meant to be dead. We'll fit right in."

They all found themselves looking at Xander. "What, now _I'm_ the outcast just 'cause there's nothing wrong with me?" he asked. 

"You know, you could lose a little weight," said Anya. "You're looking a bit chubby." 

Sensing that Xander was too indignant for words, Buffy quickly made a decision. "All right. Let's follow them. Find out how many there are of them, and how powerful. They might not be evil. We could use a few allies in the demon world right now." 

She approached the lizard-man. "Hi. I'm Buffy, and we'd be glad to follow you tothat city you mentioned." 

He shook her hand, and Buffy tried not to cringe at the touch of his scaly hand. 

"I'm Mole. Follow us, but keep your voices down and don't fall behind."

They set off. The Scoobies were in the middle of the group, with demons in front and at the back, so they didn't talk as they followed Mole through the sewers. After a few minutes, they reached a metal ladder. They climbed up through a manhole at the top, and stepped out into the dark street. 

Buffy's first thought when she stood up and looked around was that she definitely wasn't in Sunnydale anymore. For one thing, it had been late morning when they had gone into the sewers, and here it was night. The place looked like an old power plant, but it obviously hadn't been used for years. There was only one power plant in Sunnydale, and this definitely wasn't it. 

"I'venever been to this part of Sunnydale before," Dawn said with a quaver in her voice. 

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," replied Buffy quietly.

"Come on. Hurry up," Mole beckoned with his rifle. "And move quietly. We don't want to be caught off guard."

Buffy looked over at Xander, Dawn and Anya. They all looked pretty confused. She shrugged, and kept walking. 

They reached a barbed wire fence. Mole opened a gate and Buffy and the Scoobies followed him inside. 

"Who's there?" came a harsh whisper from above. Dawn jumped nervously.

"It's Mole," he replied. "I've brought some more soldiers from the sewers."

There was a pause, then the voice came again: "Go ahead."

They entered a large warehouse building. The sight that met the Scoobies' eyes was truly mind-blowing.

Everywhere were demons. There must have been hundreds. The place was packed. But these were not the kind of demons they were used to seeing. There were no strange languages, no chantings or mystical vibes whatsoever. In spite of their unnatural features, there was nothing base or primal about them at all. There was something purely human about these creatures.

A man with eight eyes was playing cards with a pregnant albino woman with strangely feline facial features. A child with no pupils, just completely white eyes was curled up asleep next to a woman with webbed feet and hands. It made Buffy think of a refugee camp, where people (or demons) who were all different were brought together because they were all escaping persecution. And sitting at a computer screen was a huge, dog-like man (or man-like dog) and a dark haired woman.

"Make yourselves at home," Mole told them. "There are blankets in that corner but I'm afraid we're a bit short on the rations side right now."

"OOk," Buffy stammered.

"At home?" Anya asked disbelievingly. "Is he asking us to move in?"

Mole didn't hear them.

"Max," he called. 

"Yeah?" the dark haired woman replied without turning around from the computer screen.

"I found some more soldiers wandering in from the sewers. You'd better settle them in."

With a brief nod to Buffy, he slung his rifle over his shoulder and disappeared amongst the crowds.

The woman at the computer stood up and turned around to face them.

"I'm Max," she introduced herself. "We're all Manticore here."

She offered a hand to Buffy, who was standing closest to her, and their eyes met.

Suddenly everything around them seemed to go quiet. Max and Buffy stood frozen for a second. Neither of them could explain it or even articulate it, but they felt like they'd been fighting side by side for years.

Xander looked from her long legs to her taut stomach to her firm breasts to her beautiful, beautiful face and simply couldn't help gawking. This woman was by far the most attractive he had ever seen. Without taking his eyes off her, he got a bit of his sleeve and wiped some drool from the corner of his mouth. 

"Oh, boy," he muttered to himself. "This is going to be one hell of a ride."


	3. Transwhat?

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews everyone. 

Chapter 3: Trans-- what?

Terminal City, Seattle, 2020

"Er Buffy?" asked her sister. Buffy didn't reply. The rest of the Scooby gang exchanged bemused glances. Max and Buffy made an interesting pair. Max was much taller than Buffy, but they had similar build. One fair, the other dark. But they had the same set of their mouths, the same serious stare. 

Suddenly Max took her hand away. There was an awkward pause. Xander tried to help out by filling in the silence. 

"SoMax, is it? How's it hanging? I mean-- in the sense that--"

"Excuse him", Anya interrupted, speaking to Max in a confiding tone. "We used to date, and since we broke up he's been a little wacked. Mostly he doesn't know what he's saying. My friends tell me I'm better off without him." 

Max smiled politely but distantly. Buffy was still mute. Dawn realised that someone normal should say something. 

"Mole mentioned something about getting us settled in", she began. "Maybe we couldsit down somewhere, and you could fill us in on the, ersituation?" 

Max seemed to snap out of it. "Sure. That I can do. There's one spare fold-up bed left, and there's some room out the back. It's pretty chaotic around here, as you can see. There's a pile of blankets in that corner." She pointed. 

"Thanks", said Buffy vaguely. Xander took her arm, and the Scoobies walked away. 

"Wait!" came Max's voice. They turned around. "I don't know your names. What series are you? I don't recognise any of you from Manticore." 

Buffy paused and turned around, still looking a little spaced out. Dawn wracked her brains for something to say. These people seemed to think they were from some kind of cult orsomething, and if she told them they weren't, would they still be friendly?

While she was thinking, Anya commented, "What is this Manticore place people keep on telling us we're from?"

Dawn gave a mental groan.

Max frowned. Suddenly she was standing behind Dawn. Dawn blinked. "How did you get" Dawn was cut off when Max pulled Dawn's neck forwards and lifted up her hair, none too gently. "Buffy?" Dawn squeaked. The grip on the back of her neck was _very _strong.

"No barcode," Max commented grimly. She whirled Dawn around to face her. "Who are you?" she demanded. "Spies? Did White send you?"

"Don't touch my sister like that," Buffy said evenly.

Max whirled around to face her. 

"Who are you people?" she demanded angrily. 

"I could ask the same about you," Buffy snarled, walking towards her. For a second they stared each other down, fists clenched. 

"Hold on!" Xander exclaimed, stepping between them. Buffy and Max glared at him. He winced slightly at their identical scowls, then continued. "Obviously there's something weird going on here. We need to erwork out some issues. Is there somewhere we can go that's a little more quiet?"

"Fine," Max said quietly. She turned around and led them outside.

"Ok," Buffy said once they were assembled outside the main building. "I'm Buffy, this is my sister Dawn and my friends Anya and Xander. We don't know what you're talking about with the wholebarcode, soldier act, but we're humans, and by all account, so are you. So do you care to explain?"

Max blinked at her. "Hhow did you get in here? Why did Mole think you were soldiers?"

Buffy shrugged. "I dunno, we were fighting, and then I was surrounded and they started calling me soldier, and then we were taken here."

Max looked very confused. 

"Ok, I'm just gonna give it to you straight up, then," she said quietly. "I don't usually do this but I kinda feel you can be trusted. Don't ask me why." Buffy nodded.

"This is Terminal City, transgenic headquarters. All of us in here, including me, are transgenics. It's not safe for you to be here. You heard about all the lynchings and arrests. You can leave now and we won't harm you. I promise."

Buffy blinked at her. Xander, Anya and Dawn all looked very bemused.

"Transwhat?" Buffy asked.

"Transgenics," Max repeated, slower. "Genetically engineered soldiers, " she added, meeting only blank faces.

"Youdon't know? What, you don't have a radio?"

"Sure we have a radio, but we haven't heard anything about these transthingemys," Dawn said.

Max frowned. "Ok well I'll explain, but you have to tell me why Mole thought you were one of us. He wouldn't make a mistake like that easily."

Buffy paused. She didn't know what to say. Obviously Max had trusted them with a very personal secret, and she felt like she should do the same, but she still wasn't sure.

"Ihave some fighting skills," she said lamely. Max raised an eyebrow.

Buffy made a hard decision fast.

"I'm a vampire slayer," she admitted. "Being stronger and faster than the average human is one of the few perks that comes with the job."

Max rolled her eyes. "Vampires? Slayer?" she asked, taking a few involuntary steps backwards. 

"Wait!" Anya cried. Max looked at her disbelievingly.

"She's telling the truth," Anya said earnestly.

"Whatever," Max said, but she didn't move.

"Look," Buffy began. "I know it's hard to believe, but hey, you asked, and whatever you're trying to tell us sounds pretty crazy too. I know it's hard to believe that vampires and demons exist but we're not crazy. Believe it. Anyway, you promised you'd tell us about this trans"

"Transgenic," Max said softly, with a hint of a smile. "I'm still kindaabsorbing your news but I said I'd tell you about transgenics, so I will," she said. 

"Wait", interrupted Xander, who'd been uncharacteristically silent until then. "Before you spill the beans I've been looking around, and I think I know this town pretty damn well, but I have no idea where we are right now." He turned to Buffy. "Buffy, I know this sounds dumb, but maybe some alternate universe thing is going on here. We're not in Sunnydale, these people think we're some kind of demon or or alien thing and--"

"I told you, you're in Terminal City", Max interrupted. "Seattle, the United States of America, Earth, the Universe" She snickered, but stopped abruptly when she saw the looks on the others' faces.

Anya was the first to speak. "Seattle?" she cried. "What are we doing in Seattle?"

"Aliens?" said Dawn. "Who said anything about aliens?"

"Holy crap! " exclaimed Xander. "I knew following Spike was a bad idea."

Buffy took a deep breath. "All right, everyone", she said. "Wait a second. You're missing the point here."

"What point?" asked Xander. "Buffy, we're in _Seattle_. Sunnydale's sewers are pretty comprehensive, but they're not _that _good."

"Yeah, I get that we're not in Sunnydale anymore", said Buffy. Then, remembering her glimpses of the deserted street they had traipsed along with Mole earlier, a sudden thought hit her. "Hey, waitWe know _where_ we are, but the question is, _when _are we? I mean, what year is this?"

Max was silent for a second, knowing that her answer could freak them out. "The year is 2020", she said slowly and carefully. 

"Holy crap," muttered Xander again. 

"How did this happen?" asked Dawn. "Did we accidentally walk into a time travel machine or something?" 

"Wait", said Max. "When are you from? I mean, what did you-- where you are, what--?"

"We're from Sunnydale, California, the United States of America, Earth, the Universe" Buffy replied. "And yesterday--or today, I'm not sure-- the year was 2003." 

They all stared at each other in bewilderment. Finally Max spoke. "Listen, the most important thing right now is to get you guys out of Terminal City. If you're human, the nuclear radiation could harm you. Us transgenics have a natural immunity. One of the few perks that comes with the job," she added, with a satiric sideways glance at Buffy. 

"What nuclear radiation?!" said Xander. "Why didn't you say something before?"

"I didn't know who or what you were", replied Max. "You might have noticed, I've got a lot of things to deal with right now. Anyway, you've only been in here 20 minutes. Only a long period of exposure could seriously harm you. Look, you obviously need some help sorting this all out. That's not exactly my job, but I have a friend who can help you. He's human, like you. I'll take you to his place now. I just need to make a quick phone call first. Stay here. I won't be a sec." 

Leaving Buffy, Dawn, Anya and Xander standing there helplessly, she disappeared back into the warehouse. 

Thanks for reviewing everyone!

Lisette - You reckon we made Max a bit Mary-Sueish? Hmmm. But she isn't a Mary Sue, so that changes things. Glad you liked the update.

Ranlynn - Wait and see ;)


	4. Healing

Chapter 4: Healing

Cornwall, England, 2003.

Giles sat down on the couch in the house he was renting for the summer. "Did you get in touch with Buffy?" came a voice from the doorway. Giles glanced up at the red-haired witch and slowly shook his head. "No," he admitted tiredly. It was the sixth time he'd rung Buffy's house that week. 

"Something's wrong," Willow said softly. Giles didn't bother asking how she knew. He could feel it too, and with Willow it would only be stronger.

"What should we do?" he asked. "I can't keep calling and calling, we have to find some way to contact them. They have to know about the coven's prediction as soon as possible."

Willow picked up the piece of paper on which a few words and a symbol was scrawled.

"We could go to them," she suggested quietly.

Giles glanced at her. "Do you think you're ready to leave the coven?" he asked her.

There was a pause. Willow had changed considerably since Tara's death and her magical breakdown. She was much quieter and rarely smiled. Giles hated to see the perky Willow fade into a shadow of her former self, but he knew that only time could heal the pain from Tara's death. The English coven had told him Willow was completely recovered from her magical trauma but her emotional wounds were ones that she would have to let heal slowly.

Willow nodded slowly. "I'd like to see the gang again," she said with a hint of a smile. "And this prophecy thing is important, right?"

Giles nodded. Important was putting it lightly. Buffy could be in real danger.

"Now all we need to do is find them," he said with a sigh, and a sideways glance at Willow. He had a particular spell in mind, but he wasn't sure how she'd feel about using powerful magic again so soon. Would it be too painful, or healthy to begin using magic for good again? Giles removed his glasses thoughtfully and polished them with a handkerchief. 

"Giles," said Willow. He looked up to see an amused gleam in her eye, something that hadn't been there for a while. 

"What is it? You know I can tell when you've got something on your mind," she continued. 

He shifted uncomfortably. "There's a spell," he began carefully. "I'm sure you would have heard of it. Similar to a simple locater spell, but we can actually transport ourselves to Buffy--"

"I've heard of it," interrupted Willow. "But I can't-- Giles, I'm--"

"I know," said Giles. "But you wouldn't have to do much at all. As you know, the spell requires the power of twelve witches, and I don't expect you to be one of them. I've spoken to the coven, and they agree that this prophecy is of paramount importance. They're willing to provide us with the magic." 

Willow was silent for a second. "You mean you went behind my back to the coven? You didn't even ask me first?"

Giles had been expecting this. "If the coven had refused to help us, as I suspected they would, then there would have been no use even giving you any ideas. Besides, I didn't know how you would feel about being involved in such a powerful spell."

"If this is the spell I'm thinking of, the coven will provide us with grounding magic, and act as our base while we're in the unstable state, right? But I'll have to provide some of the power."

"Not necessarily," Giles said quietly. "If you don't feel able to do that, one of the witches could come with us."

"No," said Willow. "I want to give it a try. And-- and I--". She broke off, but Giles knew what she was trying to say. Finding Buffy and the others and helping them might alleviate some of her guilt. Maybe it would be a way of proving that she was still Willow, one of the gang, there to help them. Useful. Good.

"The more I think about it, the more I think we need to find Buffy," Willow said. "And Dawn, and Xander I don't seriously think anything terrible has happened, but maybe they've had to go and hide out somewhere. Oh, I don't know. It's just weird, Giles." 

He nodded in agreement. "It is weird. I'll speak to the coven tomorrow. We should be able to implement the spell in the next two or three days." He paused, and they looked at each other. "I'll just try calling her again," Giles muttered, and picked up the phone. There was no answer again. 

************************************

Joshua's house, Seattle, 2020

The gang looked around in obvious curiosity at Joshua's house. It was very messy, but in a comfortable kind of way. Anya was looking at a beautiful painting of a young girl which was leaning against a sideboard. "That's beautiful," she said out loud, but everybody else was stepping forward to meet a blond man with glasses. 

Max made the introductions. "Logan, this is Buffy." They shook hands. Buffy liked the look of him. He reminded her of Giles in a strange kind of way. Max paused, slightly embarrassed at not knowing the others' names. 

Xander quickly stepped forward and offered Logan his hand. "Xander. This is Buffy's sister Dawn, and this is Anya."

Logan smiled warmly but gave Max a slightly puzzled look. Who exactly were these people?

"Are you one of those transvestites?" asked Anya, peering at him curiously. 

"Anya!" cried Dawn in shame. But nobody seemed to mind, in fact, it broke the ice as they all laughed. 

"Come and sit down," said Logan. "Make yourselves at home. And no, I'm not a transvestite or a transgenic " - with another quick glance at Max. 

They made themselves comfortable on the rickety old couches. "I don't really know how to begin," said Max. 

"Let me start," said Buffy. 

"Ok. And you can tell Logan everything. He knows about the transgenics. We go way back," Max added, and she and Logan exchanged looks.

Buffy thought back, hoping fervently that they wouldn't think she was a nutter. "Basically, we were chasing Spike - that's our uma friend of ours--"

"Spike's a vampire," interrupted Xander. "But he's got this chip, you see, which--"

"-- stops him from hurting humans--" Anya was determined to contribute.

Buffy tried again. "And we met a demon, and I fought it, but we felt this weird breeze thingy, and then I was about to kill another demon, and that Mole guy came along and assumed that I was a soldier--"

"Hang on," interjected Logan. "Did you say you fought a demon?"

Dawn tried to explain. "Demons are weird creatures. Supernatural. Haven't you ever seen anything which looks kinda funny down in the sewers, or in a dark alleyway or anywhere?"

Logan looked confused, wondering if these people were referring to transgenics. Xander turned to Buffy. "Buff, maybe they don't have demons in Seattle." 

Buffy was just launching into an explanation when Anya stood up, bored. "Could you direct me to your bathroom, please?" she asked Logan, wondering if they even had one in this hole. 

"Sure," said Logan, pointing down the hall. "Second door on your right." They went back to their conversation. 

Anya took the opportunity to have a bit of a snoop around the house. There was a lot of artwork lying around, and a door down the end of the hall that looked like it might lead to an interesting basement. She contemplated seeing if there was another hellmouth down there, but decided she couldn't be bothered. Lost in thought, she opened the bathroom door and was confronted with a sight she would never forget. 

The house lacked many things Anya was used to having in a house: a functioning oven, a couple of doorknobs here and there, lampshadesBut its most important feature to Anya at that moment was its lack of locks on bathroom doors, and also a shower curtain. 

Standing in the shower with his eyes closed, soaping his toned body and running his hands through his dark wet hair, was the most gorgeous naked man Anya had ever seen. Everything about him was smooth, muscly and powerful. He had the sort of chest you'd want to lick, and the sort of arms you'd want to have around you. Out of a bizarre sense of propriety Anya tried her hardest not to look at his groin, but when he turned halfway around, still with his eyes closed, she stared longingly at his delicious back muscles and used all her will power not to let her eyes wander _too_ much. 

Suddenly Alec's heightened senses kicked in and he sensed that someone else was in the room. Opening his eyes, he stepped into a fighting stance, forgetting that he was completely naked. And wet.

Anya yelped, and flushed bright red. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I--" she covered her eyes with her hand, but peeked around the side, blushing again. 

Alec thought for a second, and then decided that he was in no danger. Then he realised the cause of her embarrassment, and reached for a towel, blushing a little himself. 

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know anyone was in the house," he said. 

Anya flailed around, trying to find the doorway with her eyes covered. "It's completely my fault. I didn't realise anyone was in here. Excuse me ". She finally found the doorway and staggered out, panting a little. 

Alec caught site of himself in the mirror: semi-naked, wet, and very bemused looking. Who was that girl? 

When Anya returned to the living room, everything had been explained. Neither Max nor Logan thought Buffy and the others were a bunch of lunatics. In fact, Logan had even heard of the Watcher's Council and the Slayer, although he had thought it was a bit of a myth. They were trying to work out how the Scoobies had time-travelled, although Xander and Dawn were more interested in finding out what the future was like. 

"Is the Jerry Springer Show still running?"

"Do they have technology to read our minds yet?"

"Are there more new Gatorade flavours?"

"Is that whole peasant fashion craze over yet?"

Only Dawn noticed that Anya was a little flushed when she returned to the living room. "Are you okay?" she asked in concern. "I'm fine, Dawnie," said Anya, patting her absently on the knee. Absolutely fine."

[A/N: please, please review].


End file.
